Buffalo Mountain Trail

Buffalo Mountain Trail is a 5.2 mile lightly trafficked out and back trail located near Silverthorne, Colorado that offers the chance to see wildlife and is rated as difficult. The trail offers a number of activity options and is best used from July until September. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.

DISTANCE

5.2 miles

ELEVATION GAIN

3018 feet

ROUTE TYPE

Out & Back

dogs on leash

cross country skiing

hiking

horseback riding

rock climbing

skiing

snowshoeing

trail running

views

wildlife

rocky

scramble

snow

washed out

Hiked this two days ago and managed to get about 300 feet away from the summit. The snow was very deep and after a point it became hard to see the trail and even with snow shoes i was going about 2 1/2 feet down into the snow. Still if you keep going it’s very worth the views at the top. Only thing that kept me from reaching the top was the extremely high winds.

Difficult to hike in the snow. Very steep the higher up you go and twisty. The views were beautiful but we were also told there was a cabin at the peak...yea, we couldn’t make it to the peak bc of how steep it was and there was no sight of any cabin anywhere. There were 2 other people that had snow shoes and got up a bit higher than we did and they found no cabin either.

snow covered, and it's pretty good until you get to tree line. then, the trail disappears and the snow gets very deep. It looked like we were close to the top, but I think we had a long way to go yet. We turned around after trying to wade through knee deep snow. Startled a ptarmigin on the way down.

After hanging a left at the next sign you come across, the trail starts gaining elevation steadily until tree line and then you're smack dab in the boulder field that other reviews mention.

Keep an eye out everywhere for cairns, they start to stick out the more you look if you happen to loose track of the trail. The boulder field is filled with switchbacks and multiple variations of trails to navigate to the first false summit (near a very large boulder).

The trek to the summit after the false is a breeze after this point, unless you're mid-westerner like us and are eating the locals dust!

Obviously worth the incredible 360 views with both city and nature eye candy. We even got hitched at the peak! She's a real winner and loved every minute of it. Beers all around. Cheers and have fun!

Way tougher than expected. I know that it is very subjective, but I would consider this hike even more challenging than Notch mountain or hiking Greys and Torreys peaks in one day.
Like previous reviewers said, the first mile or so through the forest is a walk in the park, but once the incline starts it doesn't stop.
I personally didn't mind the boulder field, it is kinda fun to look for cairns and trying to figure out the route. Once you get over the boulder field and you think you're on the top, you are not, ha! It is kinda false summit and you still have to go further to reach those sweeping views and friendly goat herd on top. So worth it!!!

First mile rolls through the woods, so most of the 3,000' in elevation gain is in just 1.5 miles which is a bit like the Manitou Incline...but with boulders not stairs. Fun hike, views are the payoff. Took my 16 and 14 year olds with me, glad my 10 year old sat this one out. Pay attention to the cairns on the way up...they'll keep you on a well thought out "trail" that picks its way through the boulder field.

It was beautiful!! The rocky areas are quite challenging but Thor ( my dog) and I made it to the top. Things move a little slow at that altitude.

Highlights from the trip:-the view from the top!!!-the mountain goats -the challenge

Carol N.

hiking

6 months ago

Pure torture as we took the trail to the left which avoided the boulders but goes straight up. Fortunately the view from the top was Worth the effort. Start early so that you can have time to enjoy the views and get down before the afternoon rains. Descended the mountain by way of the boulders. There are beautiful wildflowers at the trailhead. The Mountain goats were very friendly and wanted to check us out but we didn't let them come much closer than 10 feet. Their little horns are pretty sharp.

Challenging trail but fun! Took me a while but mostly due to altitude. The talus field is tough. Pay attention to trail markers. They really help. The goats at the top and the incredible view make the effort worth every step!

Hard hike. We turned back about halfway up the boulder field because of mountain goats! We were sort of precariously placed on rocks and two goats came down to us quickly. They chased us all the way back to the trees. Maybe they thought we would feed them. Who knows. There were two kids (and two more adults), so we were worried they were being protective. So our down climb was very quick and not on trail.

Fantastic hike. It's easy going at the beginning through the trees and gets hard when you have to climb through the talus. The views are spectacular when you reach the summit. A definite must for experienced hikers.